Raulie Casteel looks towards the media in the jury box during his plea hearing in front of Judge Dennis Langford Morris at Oakland County Circuit Court in Pontiac on Wednesday, October 30, 2013. / Eric Seals/Detroit Free Press

Written by

Gina Damron and L.L. Brasier

Detroit Free Press Staff Writers

Raulie Casteel heads back to jail after he pleaded no contest but mentally ill in front of Judge Dennis Langford Morris at Oakland County Circuit Court in Pontiac on Wednesday, October 30, 2013. / Eric Seals/Detroit Free Press

More

ADVERTISEMENT

A Wixom man accused of shooting at motorists along the I-96 corridor a year ago pleaded no contest but mentally ill today to multiple felonies in Oakland County.

Raulie Casteel, 44, is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 30. He faces up to 12 years in prison — between about 6˝ and 10 years on charges of assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder and a mandatory two years on felony firearms charges.

But the cases against Casteel aren’t over. He’s set to go on trial in January in Livingston County, where he faces a more serious terrorism charge.

His attorney, Doug Mullkoff, said Casteel has been diagnosed with delusional disorder.

“The mental illness was the key factor in causing this problem,” Mullkoff said.

The Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office added the felony assault charges today. Other original charges, including multiple counts of assault with intent to murder, are being dismissed.

Casteel was accused of shooting at people across a four-county area, mostly motorists driving along the I-96 corridor, during a two-week period in October 2012.

Mullkoff said he’s hopeful the Michigan Attorney General’s Office — which is handling prosecution of charges filed in Livingston County — will be interested in striking a similar agreement. The terrorism charge carries a penalty of up to life in prison, and Casteel also faces a charge of assault with intent to murder there.

Joy Yearout, a spokeswoman for the Attorney General’s Office, said in an e-mail to the Free Press: “We are confident in our case and prepared for trial. We’ll let the jury decide.”

The shootings captured the nation’s attention. Casteel, who came to be known as the I-96 shooter, was arrested Nov. 5 after one of the motorists was able to describe his car and provide investigators with a partial license plate.

After today’s hearing, his wife, Erin Casteel, said her husband was sick.

“I would just say that Raulie is a good man who got sick, and we’re hopeful that he can now get the help he needs,” she said.